Child's play
by Rosirinoa
Summary: Captain Levi accidentally suffered a head injury, leaving him unconscious and with a strange case of regression to his childhood. Now, his squad will have to deal with the consequences and take care of the Captain, who acts like a naughty seven years old kid. Hanji decides to help them, but apparently only Petra can deal with him, since Captain seems to be quite fond of her.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

Captain Levi was supervising his squad's the daily chores. While some members cleaned the barracks, others were out getting firewood. He was assured that most of the time, his subordinates did a pretty good job; every one of them except for one… so he went to personally check on him.

"Hey, Eren! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't leave the floor wet, are you stupid or…"

Levi couldn't finish the phrase and two loud screams could be heard in the castle's hallways. The first one was, perhaps more bloodcurdling than the second; there were few the occasions when the Captain yelled, and when he did it was only to order people around or scold someone, but this time his scream was different from any other heard before. It was something between anger and scare, but the most shocking thing about it, was that it was quieted all of a sudden, as if someone or something made him mute. The second yell was made by a terrified boy "Captain Levi!" and then a bucket falling was heard too.

It was all quiet for the next moments, but then steeps coming from the stairs were heard. Someone was running towards the place where the screams came from

"What's going… aahh!" a female voice came from the other side of the hall.

"Petra, you have to help me!... I really think I messed up this time " she came closer to Eren, who was crouching next to the Captain.

"What happened? How…?"

"I was cleaning the floor. It was still wet when Captain Levi came and… he slipped. It was my fault!" his voice was evidently anguished.

"Calm down" she kneeled and observed the man lying in the floor. Then, carefully she put a hand on his neck to find the pulse, fearing for the worst, but almost immediately she sighed with relief and the lump in her throat disappeared "don't worry, he's just unconscious… but he will be furious when he wakes up- Eren gulped after hearing that and seeing the girl's reproaching gaze on him. Some sweat drops appeared on his forehead "looks like the fall was pretty hard, I've never seen him like this and… there's some blood in his head" Petra looked at her bloody fingers as she held the Captain's head with the other hand.

"Do you think he's alright?" the boy asked, very worried and then Hanji appeared in the stairs.

"What happened? I heard some screams and… gosh!

"A little accident, Hanji…" Petra turned to see her with a concerned look but she tried not to worry her too much. After all, they still didn't know how bad the situation was.

"We have to take him to the infirmary… allow me" the squad leader opened one of the hall's doors and took out a stretcher "it ill be easier to carry him with this. Petra, keep holding is head, Eren, take his legs and I will grab his arms ready? 1…2…3."

Being 3 of them, it's wasn't difficult to carry him and once he was in the stretcher he was taken to the second floor, where the infirmary was and he was put in one if the beds. Lucky for them, the last expedition took place more than a month before, so there were no injured soldiers in the medical wing. Once it was all set, Hanji took care of the injury in the head and Petra helped, since Eren was too nervous to do something useful, so he saw the whole process from one of the corners of the room. It was small, but it required bandages.

"Now we only have to wait until he wakes up" Hanji made a pause and looked at her colleague "to think that this grumpy man is also capable of having an angelic expression."

"Eh, Hanji… the Captain's not asleep, he is unconscious… " Eren sounded mortified while Petra held back a small laugh after hearing the scientist and her eccentric comments.

"Come on Eren, relax a little. It's Levi we're talking about. He can't be THAT hurt after a simple slip." The squad leader took off her glasses and cleaned them, but suddenly her expression changed "Right! Someone has to let Erwin know. Petra, could you go and tell him about the accident?"

Petra nodded and left the infirmary to look for the Commander, while her face showed some worry. She thought about the memories since the moment she joined the military and she didn't remember seeing the Captain having an accident like that, much less unconscious and, somehow, vulnerable. On the other hand, her nervousness grew even more because she had some repressed feeling towards her superior, the kind of feelings that could betray her when she was alone with him and that made her anxious when she saw him. Despite that, the girl made her best efforts to suppress and deny them. It wasn't the right thing to do for a member of the Scouting Legion, and it wasn't professional at all. Nevertheless, once in a while, Petra allowed herself some time for her mind to wander and imagine what could happen if they were in a different situation. She did it during the nights before expeditions or after a rough day, when she found it hard to fall asleep. It was way to relax and going to sleep with a smile in her face.

In that moment, the girl became conscious of her thoughts and shook her head to cast away those thoughts, hurrying to get to the Commander's office. Meanwhile, the situation was the same with Hanji and Eren, but the scientist took out from the closet what it appeared to be as a hip flask, just like the one Pixis carried all the time.

"Hanji, I don't think this is the best time to be drinking" the boy was sitting in a bed next to the Captain's, worried about his superior and the awful scolding waiting for him as soon once he woke up. Who knows what kind of punish would he receive for it and there was a possibility that the Captain would beat the hell out of him.

"Oh, this? It's not for me." she took a handkerchief and dropped some of the liquor in it "the smell is strong and it might just wake him up faster" she put it near the Captain's nose, and he moved his head right after smelling it "see? It won't be long before he wakes up."

A few moments later, Commander Erwin entered the room with steady steps and carefully examined the room with his eyes. Petra had informed him about the details of the accident and after considering it on his way to the infirmary, his expression was serious and looked askance at the soldiers in there, as if he expected them to have new information, but they didn't, so he only said.

"Soldier Ral just gave me a report, saying that Levi had an accident and he slipped. I assume he hasn't woken up." he approached the bed and Hanji "any news?"

"I think he will wake up any time now" she put the handkerchief next to his nose again and Levi moved again, but this time he complained "looks like he is in pain." The Captain kept moaning until he started to open his eyes and move his fingers.

"Look, he is…" Eren's face lightened. It would have been a great burden for him to carry humanity's strongest soldier's death on his back or putting him on a coma. He didn't even want to imagine the consequences of such thing.

"At last! Levi, can you hear me?" Hanji got closer to his comrade, touching his shoulders, while he tried to focus his eyes and kept complaining.

"Who the hell are you?" Levi saw her with distrust and anger, but there was something different in his expression. Something hard to explain, but it made him look different, as if he was a different person.

"What? Stop joking around. It's me, Hanji. You know me."

"He is a Little confused, that's all. Let's give him some space" Erwin took Hanji's arm to move her away "how are you feeling, Levi? Does your head hurt?" The confused soldier sat on the bed, grabbing one of the blankets to cover his face and he shrugged, as if he was trying to protect himself. His face showed that something was hurting him as he rubbed his head.

"What do you care, idiot? And where am I?" Levi looked around "this can't be the underground city… " he pointed when he saw the sky through the window and in that moment Erwin's expression changed and looked terrified, while the other two soldiers looked as confused as the Captain.

"I wonder if… ? Levi, do you remember what happened?" Erwin approached cautiously "Do you know where you live?" there was no answer from the black haired guy, who only looked down and clung stronger to the blanket.

"He looks very disoriented"

"I'm afraid is more than that, Eren. It's like… Levi, tell me how old are you?" Hanji's attitude became serious and crossed her arms "Levi, how old are you? She approached him a bit more and spoke sweetly as he looked at her with suspicion. After a moment without an answer, she added "It's ok, don't worry, we are not going to..." she was interrupted by Oluo, who all of a sudden entered the room.

"What happened to the Captain? Is he alright? I came as soon as... oh! It's good to see you are awake, sir! "Levi looked at him and ignored the rest of the people there "I thought you we…." Oluo bit his tongue and some drops of blood scattered all over his face.

Levi laughed so hard, hugely surprising everyone in the room. They were even more worried now. A reaction like that wasn't like him at all. It was as if he was someone else and everyone's blood froze, making the atmosphere even more tense.

"What the…?" Eren started to sweat and Petra entered the room again, still worried about the accident but hoping to find some good news.

"It there any…? Oh! It's good to see you back!" she smiled widely and Levi stared at her, smiling. It was as if he unexpectedly relaxed "Captain, are you alright?" Petra was very confused after seeing his expression. Although, on rare occasions she had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a tiny smile on her superior's face, he had never shown a complete smile.

"Levi, please tell me how old are you?" Hanji insisted with the question, as everyone else in the room kept wondering what was going on.

"Seven" he said carelessly, with eyes still fixed on Petra and smiling. Then he finally took the blanket from his face.

"This is worse than I expected." Hanji left herself fall into the bed, next to a speechless Eren.

"Some kind of amnesia?" Erwin was serious and Oluo shocked "Levi, listen to me… I'm Erwin. You are not seven years old. You are a Captain in the Scouting Legion, as well as humanity's strongest, you kill titans and…"

Levi looked at him with skepticism, as Erwin kept with the speech. Some images appeared in his mind started to spin around, making him even more confused. It wasn't long before he shouted in agony and cried, his hands covering his ears, leaving everyone even more overwhelmed.

"Perhaps that wasn't the best approach, Erwin. If he thinks he is seven years old…" Hanji frowned as she looked at the door, worrying for the possibility of someone else seeing the scene.

"Easy there, it's alright." Petra got closer to Levi to comfort him "shh, shh, it's ok. There's nothing to worry about." It seemed like she was talking to a little boy and she even caressed his hair with a kind gesture and then he began to calm down, looking at her with eyes full of tears.

"What the hell?!" Eren couldn't believe his eyes and he was even more impressed with the Petra's actions and the Captain's response to them. A similar intrigued expression appeared on Hanji's face.

"This I something I never thought I'd see…" Oluo couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Everybody, calm down. We need to think" Hanji stated "Levi was walking though the hall and he slipped" Eren gulped as he remembered why he fell on the first place "he hit his head and was left unconscious. Then, he woke up very confused." There was silence for a moment and they looked at each other with serious expressions "this is probably a strange case of amnesia."

"Strange case of amnesia? Just like that? Don't you think this is something more serious?" Oluo pointed at Levi, who was grabbing Petra's shirt; she wasn't wearing the jacket. "It's more like a serious case of… whatever it is!"

The scene was very surreal, and the one who appeared to be least affected, or at least wasn't aware of it, was the Captain. Everyone else were concerned and feared for the worst. What would happen if he didn't come back to the way he was? What if the damage was permanent?

"Hanji, is it possible that he has a regression to his childhood?" Erwin had been silent for a while, trying to make any sense of the situation.

"Apparently, quite possible. I doubt he's playing us some joke." she laughed hysterically to hid her nervous."

There was an awkward silence in the infirmary and only the agitated breaths of the soldiers could be heard. The temperature raised, not because of the weather, but for the uncertainty around the respectable Captain.

"Stop looking at me like that! Don't you have something better to do? You useless Military Police assholes!" Levi complained.

"Captain, we are not from the MIlitary Police… we are from the Scouting Legion" Petra showed him the insignia on Hanji's arm and Levi looked terrified

"So, you are also…?" he shrugged again and covered himself with the blanket.

"Enough!... we need to talk. Eren, stay with him for a moment."

Erwin left the room followed by the other soldiers, but not before noticing the terrified expression on the young soldier. Eren had never been good with kids, if that's what this was all about and besides, he didn't have a good relationship with the Captain either, but he did as he was told. Deep down, he felt guilty.

Once they were all outside, the headed towards one of the hidden corridors in the caste to analyze the facts and organize a plan. In the end, they decided that it would be better to let the Captain rest; there were no known medicines for amnesia. Luckily for them, at the moment, stationed soldiers were a few, so only a handful of people would see the peculiar state of Captain Levi.

"We will be checking on Levi's condition every day, but the Special Operation's Squad will be the one in charge of him. Apparently Petra has the best odds on approaching and dealing with him. Try not to importune him until he's calm. We don't know how he might react- He could get violent, and despite of what he believes, his strength is not the one of a seven years old kid."

"Commander… you knew Captain Levi before he joined the Survey Corps, right?" Petra waited for Erwin to nod before continue "do you have any information that could help us to… well, to know what to expect from this?"

"I met Levi around seven years ago. His childhood circumstances are unknown to me. But as far as I know, he always lived in the underground city, underneath the Capital."

"So, is it true that…" Petra stopped talking to avoid revealing information regarding the Captain, so Oluo or Hanji didn't ask any more questions, but then a loud crash was heard from inside the infirmary and they expected something really bad was happening.

In a matter of seconds, they all looked at each other with wide eyes and hurried to open the infirmary door. There, they found Levi on top of Eren, beating him with hard punches, surrounded by first aid materials that fell from the drawers.

"But what…? Levi, stop right now, this is an order" the Commander yelled.

"Go to hell!" the Captain kept punching the young soldier, who tried to defend himself by putting his arms in front of his face. He wouldn't dare to punch him back, despite his condition.

Quickly, Oluo and Hanji tried to separate them, but Levi was too strong and they could only stop him by grabbing his two arms. His strength was still the one from humanity's strongest, but his behavior was the one from a seven years old kid.

"Are you alright, Eren?" Petra kneeled next to the boy and helped him stand up "what happened?"

"He seemed to be very calm, when…" he had a chill down his spine when he noticed the harsh look on the Captain's eyes on the other side of the room. He was still struggling to get away from Hanji and Oluo's grip.

"Go on, Eren." Erwin crossed his arms and stood in front of the young soldier.

"Commanders,,, well, you see, he seemed to be very calm and suddenly he stood up. He approached the desk and took the hip flask. Apparently, he was curious and I told him it wasn't a good idea to grab it, but he didn't listen and when he was about to take a sip, I grabbed his arm. Then, he attacked me."

"You damn snitch! I'll kick your ass when I have the chance!" Levi was very angry and Ern could only look at him with fear.

In normal situations, the Captain managed to intimidate Eren, but in that moment, he was sure he would be attacked as soon as Levi saw a chance. As for Erwin, he sighed with frustration and looked at his subordinate for a moment, before looking at the rest of the soldiers in the room.

"Unfortunately, I have an important meeting in the capital, so I cannot stay to deal with this situation," he felt a terrible headache approaching "I'll have to leave it in your hands, at least for today. I hope this amnesia deal is temporary."

Erwin looked at everyone in the room again, and then at Levi, who glared at him, just like the first time he met him, and suddenly he had the urgency to hurry his return to the barracks. He knew very well what his subordinate was capable of, and he didn't want to imagine the problems he might cause, but for the time being, everything would be in the hands of the Special operations squad.

 _ **Author's notes.**_

 _ **Hi there! This is my new story. I hope you like it. It won't be very long, but it will be fun and interesting. The idea of Levi having a regression was quite interesting and I think it was lots of potential for rivetra!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

That same day, everything seemed to be as normal as always in the barracks of the Scouting Legion. Only a few people knew about Captain Levi's accident from earlier that morning, and the special operations squad had the special mission of keeping it top secret; who know what could happen if someone else found out about the state of their superior. For the time being, the squad took the necessary actions to assure their captain was safe and far away from prying eyes that could notice the change on him.

"So, you're telling me the captain thinks he is 7 years old?" Erd's face was priceless when Eren and Petra explained what happened, and he couldn't keep himself from laughing so hard, while Gunther was apparently in shock. As for Oluo, he had already witnessed his superior's behavior and was only looking at him with precaution.

It wasn't a common situation and none of them had imagined their boss could even behave in such way, which made the whole situation even more amazing and bizarre. As for Levi, he was busy eating some bread buns they brought him. He was silent, but ate very fast, as if he was afraid that someone would take them away from him or something was threatening him.

"Erd please… this is serious. The captain needs our support while he's like this. He would do the same for us and…" Petra began to explain, but was interrupted by a bread projectile that hit Eren's face, making the blond soldier laugh even harder and the girl made an exasperated expression when she saw him. Perhaps, Levi wasn't the only child in there.

"I…I'm… so sorry!" Erd couldn't stop laughing "It's just…. Too… much!"

"It might be funny now, but if the next projectile is headed towards you, it won't be funny anymore." Gunther tried to put some order.

"Oh, come on. I'm great with kids. Just look." Erd approached Levi with friendly intentions and began talking with him, while the rest of the squad continued with the meeting.

"I believe the best thing to do is to keep him away from the other soldiers. We'll limit the places where he could be, let's say his office, his room, perhaps the backyard while there's no one there and maybe the library." Gunther seemed to be quite serious while considering the situation.

"It's a good idea, but do you think we could keep him there? I mean…. When we were in the infirmary, he couldn't stay put for a moment… and then he started to punch me." Then, another bread projectile passed right in front of Eren, but this time it was directed to Gunther.

"Very funny, Erd. Don't give him more ideas." The blond soldier laughed from the other side of the room.

"We should at least try. We don't have another option." Petra seemed a little sad and then, Erd approached them again.

"Apparently, he doesn't recognize anything in here. It's as if he was another person, so first we should give him a tour around the place, in case he gets lost. Petra, you take the first turn to keep an eye on him. The next one will be Gunther, then Oluo, Eren and finally me. Depending on how things work out, we'll make arrangements on the watches."

Erd was the second in command and he had to behave as such. Nevertheless, he seemed to be enjoying the situation like no one else in the squad. At least, he took it with some sense of humor. Apparently, he got along well with the Captain's child version, and he would take it as an opportunity to stablish some order, but most of all, to keep their fellow squad members united.

They all agreed with the plan and, in case something happened, the even had an emergency strategy, so a member of the squad had to remain nearby in case the person in charge needed backup. The captain could get violent any time, just like it happened with Eren earlier that morning.

A moment later, Petra began with the tour around the barracks. She was walking next to the Captain, and before entering a room, she made sure there was no one inside. She didn't want anyone else to know about his condition, but her biggest worry was that Levi couldn't get his memory back. What would happen if he stayed like this forever? It would be a great loss for her, for the legion, but most of all, for humanity.

She knew it had been an accident, but it didn't make the situation less serious. Besides, she would have preferred that it had happened to her, instead to the man she admired the most. Distress started to invade her, but suddenly she felt something pulling her shirt.

"Miss Petra, where are we?" Levi's voice sounded worried and the way he spoke wasn't anything like the Captain's.

"We are in the library." She smiled because she though the way he spoke was sweet and her attitude changed immediately. Now, she was warmed and more careful "there are many books in here, you see? Some of them could interest you. Besides…"

"But I don't know how to read." He felt ashamed and was about to cry, then Petra remembered that not every child learnt how to read at the same age and, even though she ignored the circumstances where the captain grew up, she figured it must have been rather harsh for him. She had heard the rumor that he came from the underground city, but that morning he confirmed it and felt even more sympathy and tenderness towards him.

"I learnt how to read when I was 9, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Petra smiled and he felt relieved "besides, I can teach you." She felt a lot of empathy towards him, as if he was very easy to approach.

"Really?" his eyes brightened up.

"Yes, Levi." She knew no one could hear them, it was the first time she called him by his first name and she thought it was rather curious to do it in such circumstances. She always imagined that, the first time she'd call him like that, it would be under very different circumstances "when we're done with the tour, we can start the first lesson, if you want to."

She looked around the library and approached a bookcase, looking for a book that wasn't too complicated to read. It wasn't as if she had read many of them, but she remembered she once read one with fantasy stories and it should remain in the library. She wondered where could it be, but suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms surrounding her and surprised her.

"Thank you, miss Petra! No one else other than my mom had always been so good to me" Levi hugged her from behind with tenderness.

"Captain!" she immediately blushed. She never expected him to do something like that, and for an instant she forgot it was the captain's 7 years old version.

It was an embrace full of sweetness that made Petra smile for a few moments. She would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about embracing him more than once, but to actually feel it, made her heart skip a beat. She had never had him so close and his particular masculine scent almost made her sigh. It was a mix of soap, tea and the jacket's leather.

Suddenly, something interrupted her thoughts and an idea came to her mind: how sad must his childhood have been if he said such things. There was even a possibility that he was an orphan, at the mercy of the underground city's cruel life. Truth to be told, Petra didn't know much about his past and she could only speculate, but in any case, based on his behavior, his childhood must have been unpleasant.

A protective instinct invaded her and the relaxed under the arms embracing her. She even caressed one of them with her hand, trying to comfort him and feeling thankful because there was no one around, or the scene could be misunderstood.

The tour kept going for the next hour and Petra took the opportunity to make up a "game", where the captain had to act as such in the presence of other soldiers. She told him that every time another soldier he didn't know approached, he had to put on a serious expression and remain silent, but more than a game, it was apparently his normal behavior; some things never change.

More than appearing like a 7 years old kid, he was like an exaggerated version of the captain. One that despised military and authority figures, stole anything that could fit inside his pockets and didn't have any manners at the table. He ate way too fast and his attitude was defensive when he did it. Also, his expression became threatening if someone approached him when he ate.

Despite all that, the day passed without any further problems and Erd had the bright idea of cleaning the basement with Levi, so by 9 PM, the _little_ captain felt exhausted and ready sleep. So, he accompanied him to his room and made sure he went to bed. Later, right after he closed the door, he met Petra.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Petra. He is very tired, so I don't think he'll have trouble sleeping, but… I'm worried." For the first time, Erd seemed to recognize the gravity of the situation.

"Yes, I'm worried too." She crossed her arms and leaned back on the wall "this can't keep up for much longer." There was frustration in her voice.

"Come on, don't worry too much. I have a hunch telling me that this won't last too much." He patted her shoulder to comfort her and they both exchanged sympathy glances. Then, both soldiers parted ways to their own rooms.

The next day, Oluo woke up earlier than anyone else to look for the captain. Having younger sibling taught him that children didn't sleep a lot, so he went looking for him a few minutes after the sun rose. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. He waited for a moment before knocking again, but he didn't have luck either.

"Looks like he's still sleeping." He smiled and carefully opened the door to not wake him up, but here was nobody inside "what the hell?!"

Before start to worry without a reason, he looked under the bed and inside the closet, but there was no sign of captain Levi. The bed was undone and was still a little warm, so he couldn't be too far. Oluo went out to the hallways, looking for him inside the closets and cleaning supplies storage, as well as de kitchen, but he didn't have success. The more time passed, the more nervous he felt. Anyone could notice the state of the captain's mind, if they spoke with him. Also, he was practically a child and could get hurt if he wasn't careful.

Finally, Oluo looked out the window, hoping to see him running around in the backyard but he wasn't there either. Then, he heard a loud noise in the byre and feared for the worst. Without losing another moment, he hurried to find out what happened. There was no time to lose and ran with all his strength, meeting Gunther on his way.

"Hey, Oluo what's going on?"

"Hurry, I can't find the captain! I think he is in the byre."

"In the byre?" the loud noise was heard again and they looked at each other with horror "let' go!"

They both ran and opened the byre's door, expecting the horses running around and wanting to scape, but lucky for them, they only found captain Levi in the ground and only one of the horses loose, walking around the place and looking for something to eat.

"Captain!" the two soldier hurried to where their superior was. He had blood on his nose and, even though he wasn't unconscious, he appeared to be dizzy, based on the way he looked at them, as if he had trouble focusing his eyes.

"What happened?" Oluo wanted to find out how it all happened but he had a slight idea of how he ended up in the ground.

"I only wanted to pet the horse and… and…" he pouted and then started to cry "ahh!"

"Gunther, take him to tie infirmary. I'll take care of the horse." And before his colleague left the place, he yelled "don't let anyone see you!"

On their way to the infirmary, Gunther was really careful. He didn't want to meet any one from the legion, but the captain's cry wasn't helping at all, and suddenly he thought about the fact that the whole thing was really absurd. The last thing that went through his mind when he woke up, was the possibility of taking his superior in rank, an adult man whom he respected and admired, to the infirmary crying and yelling in pain, just as if he was a little kid.

"Captain, please stop crying. Everything's alright, it's just a little punch in the nose." Gunther took a handkierchef from his pocket and cleaned the blood from his nose "let's go… we should get to the infirmary."

Lucky for them, there weren't many soldiers wandering around, and the few that were already awake, were either in the kitchen or in the dining hall, so no one saw or heard them. Once they were in the infirmary, Gunther sat the captain in one of the stretchers and looked for the supplies to take her of his nose.

"Are you still bleeding?" the soldier asked with the most normal voice he could. He felt weird taking care of his superior like that. Levi was the humanity's strongest; a punch in the nose wouldn't make him act like that. On a normal day, if something like that happened, he wouldn't even have gone to the infirmary, but actually, none of that would have happened in the first place if the captain was in his senses.

"Yes, there's still blood coming out of my nose…" he sobbed and his eyes were red, full of tears.

"Tilt your head back." He came closer to the captain and put a cloth with cold water on his forehead and then he cleaned the blood. After that, he examined him." I don't think it's broken, but it will leave a bruise.

"Exactly what will leave a bruise?... oh, my! What happened?" Hanji exclaimed as soon as she entered the room and saw them.

"Apparently, he was kicked by a horse…" said Gunther with irony.

"I just wanted to play with him!" Levi was still sobbing.

"My, my, this is priceless…" Hanji tried not to laugh while she looked in one of the drawers for a flask "this still help stop the bleeding." She put some of the balm in a cloth and then put it right on Levi's nostrils.

"Ah! It stinks!"

"I know, but it will stop the bleeding. Come on, it's only for a moment." She looked at the other soldier "he must have approached the horse from behind and… it kicked him. A rookie mistake."

"I was thinking the same thing. Damn, he has gotten hurt more in the last two days than in the last three expeditions."

"And I'm afraid he'll keep doing it if you don't watch him closely." Hanji seemed to be enjoying the whole thing.

"We already have assigned turns to take care of him, but this morning… well, he went ahead of us and…" he sighed "it looks like someone will have to keep guard on his room. I'm afraid that, if we lock him up, he will destroy his room or try to jump out of the window with the bedsheets. After all, he has the strength of an adult."

"Of an adult?" suddenly the captain's eyes lightened and sat in front of the infirmary desk "come on. Let's play arm-wrestle!" he smiled at his subordinate, his eyes were still red.

"I.. don't think it's a good idea..." Gunther frowned and looked at Hanji with frustration "perhaps later."

Gunther was in charge of taking care of him during breakfast, which was taken to his office. By then, his nose had stopped bleeding and was only a little swallowed. The bruise began to show on his face. When Gunther entered the office with the food, for an instant, the captain seemed the be the same as always: he was sitting on the desk chair, looking through the window with absolute seriousness and glanced at him with cold attitude when he saw the soldier.

"Captain?" Gunther smiled, expecting a positive answer, as if by magic everything was normal again, but when he saw Levi jumping from the chair and hurrying to take the food tray, his hopes vanished "you better sit down again." He said, a little disappointed.

"But I'm hungry!" he complained but did as he was told after a moment and waited for the soldier to put the tray on the desk.

Levi seemed to be very hungry, he ate fast and managed to get his hands dirty, aswellas his cheeks. As for Gunther, he abbandoned the idea of making him eat properly. Each time he tried to tellhim how to do it, he earned a despise glare from his superior, so in the end he decided to have some fun with the scene. To ne honest, he didn't have any other choice.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard and the soldier felt alarmed. He didn't want anyone to see the captain while he was acting weird, so he approached the door and with serious voice he asked who it was.

 _ **Hi everyone!**_

 _ **This is the second part of the story, I hope you liked it! I believe this fic will have aroun chapters, so please look forward to it I'm having so much fun writing this and imagining Levi acting as a child. Thank you so much for the comments and likes, they really make me happy and motivte me to keep writing!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gunther felt ever muscle in his body tensing. If someone alien to the situation entered the office, they would immediately realize the changes in the Captain, starting with his untidy image, which contrasted with his usual neatness. Hence, the soldier wondered if he should open or just ask who it was from the inside.

"It's me, Petra. May I come on?" the door opened "I was wondering how… what happened?!" she was alarmed as soon as she saw the bruise on the Levi's swollen nose

"We've had a long morning…" the soldier sighed, finally relaxing while Levi said something unintelligible; some kind of greeting for the girl, but his words weren't clear, since he had a half chewed bread inside his mouth. Still, his eyes shone as soon as she saw the girl.

"I see… hi, Lev…. Eh, I mean… Captain" She hurried to change her words.

"He finished his breakfast in record time… now, he has to clean himself" the soldier sighed again "before today, it was unthinkable that his face could be this dirty and remain calm at the same time"

"I'll get some water and a towel. There are many soldiers inside the castle and around the halls. It would be better if he stayed here. I'll be right back."

A couple minutes later, Petra was back with some warm water so the Captain could get clean, and Gunther took the opportunity to take a break. He began to feel tension on his shoulders, because he wasn't used to deal with small children and he had to treat his superior with precaution, since he wasn't just unpredictable. He could be threatening if he wanted to.

When Petra handed the captain a wet towel, he looked at her with a confused expression, as if he didn't know what it was all about and without the slightest intentions of using it. The girl could read his disgusted expression and patiently explained.

"It's for you to clean your face. You can't remain dirty, you'll feel uncomfortable."

"I don't want to." He looked at the window and the girl made a disapproving expression. Apparently, the captain's hygiene habits began after his childhood.

"Come on," she approached him in a friendly way "if you do it, I'll read you a tale later."

"Really?" his face showed illusion and she nodded, smiling "Alright'"

Then, Levi took the towel and cleaned his face the best he could, but he left a couple stains near his nose, because it still hurt because of the horse's kick.

"Let me do it." The girl rinsed the towel and, very carefully, she cleaned the few stains and crumbs on his face, trying to ignore the fact that she was very close to him "you should be more careful when you eat. You could do it slower and…"

"But if I don't eat fast, someone will take away my food."

He seemed to be quite consternated, which made Petra's heart shrink for a moment; Levi's childhood must have been very difficult, to make him act like that, but she made an effort to show him a smile and explain.

"There's nothing to worry about. No one on his right mind would take away your food." She tried not to laugh imagining the funny scene "you are humanity's strongest soldier and Captain of the Scouting Legion."

"Why does everybody call me captain?" he looked at her with great conviction, willing to find out why everyone seemed to treat him with so much respect.

"It's because… you are… Oluo, Gunther, Erd, Eren and I are part of your squad and…" she made a pause, remembering the time she'd been in the squad and everything they had gone through together. Then, she kept talking with nostalgia, but this tie, doing it as if she was really talking with his superior "you are out leader, captain." Levi considered her words for a moment and finally answered.

"Does that mean… I'm you guys' boss?"

"That's right." She kindly smiled, wondering if she wouldn't regret giving him that information later.

"Amazing, I'm the chief of many soldiers and I also have the strength of an adult. I have to tell mom..."

"Ready! You're clean now." She hurried to say, interrupting him before he started to ask about his mother's whereabouts. An information she completely ignored. Then, she put the towel inside the water containter and gave Levi a mirror so he could look at his clean face. After that, she turned around, without noticing the mischievous smile on the captain's face.

A moment later, Erd entered the office. She looked around with precaution, because he didn't know what to expect after hearing what happened earlier that morning, but when he saw that Levi was calm, a wide smile appeared on his face.

"Good morning, Petra. It's my turn to take care of our captain. Thanks for takin Gunther's place." He approached the girl and whispered "I met him on the hallway a moment ago and he seems a little upset, so I moved forward my turn. Besides, he told me about the small horse accident." He looked at his superior, who was looking through the window, looking at the sky as if it was the most interesting thing on earth "we are luck it wasn't anything serious. It looks like he is more problematic than we anticipated."

"I think he only needs someone to be understanding." She became thoughtful for a moment and Erd looked at her with tenderness. Petra had always been very gentle with the people around her and she had the strange ability of empathizing with others, especially with the captain "very well, then… I'll see you in the afternoon. Your turn is from 5 to 9 and I'll back you up, and before that, Oluo will take care of him, along with Eren."

Erd nodded and approached the captain to talk to him, hoping he could entertain him or find him something to do. Anything would do, as long as they stayed away from danger. First, he told him about the expeditions outside the walls and the difficult battles they fought against the titans, while Levi listened with all his attention fascinated with the adventure stories and getting excited with the world beyond the walls.

Around midday, and after they talked for a long while, _little_ Levi began to get bored and he decided to stand of from his seat to leave the office. He did it with such authority and will, that Erd couldn't stop him. Levi was decided to go out to the back yard, so his subordinate had to quickly think about something to hide him. Suddenly, he remembered Petra invented some kind of game, where Levi had to pretend to be Captain when there were people around, and they immediately began to play it.

Things went well inside the barracks, and they didn't meet many people on the way from the office to the back door. Nevertheless, there were many soldiers training in the backyard and Erd became really worried and tried to think of an excuse to take him to another place.

"Captain, perhaps you'd prefer to go somewhere…"

"I want to go to the backyard." His voice was harsh and his steps steady. When they looked at him, the recruits and soldiers saluted him with formality and he answered nodding with authority.

After seeing him, Erd was quite amazed. He expected it to be a suicide mission, but it didn't turn out like that. Levi was taking care of things quite well and before they reached the ground floor, Erd even took it with some humor. Levi was blatantly deceiving every soldier on his way.

"Yes, keep it up, Captain."

"I'm doing great, right?" suddenly, Levi looked at him with a triumphant smile, completely changing his attitude.

"Yes, but don't smile." Erd answered with worry, feeling a couple drops of sweat on his nape "you must remain serious when you meet the soldiers.

"I know, I'm not an idiot." He answered with indignation and his subordinated expression showed how confused he was.

When they reached the backyard, Levi leaned back in one of the walls, just like he used to do it quite often when he was on his right mind, so nobody noticed anything out of place. The captain paid close attention to the soldier's training and followed them with his eyes every time they made maneuvers with their 3DMG.

A few minutes later, although he kept looking at the soldiers exercising, he glanced at the sky every once in a while. He had always been in the underground city and he'd never seen it, so he found it fascinating. Besides, feeling the sunlight on his face, gave him a pleasuring sensation.

Almost two hours passed, and while the other soldiers thought he was performing some kind of examination, in reality Levi was very entertained with Erd, commenting about the soldiers' abilities: one was too slow, other was too clumsy, and another one seemed to be doing things upside down. For a moment, Erd thought everything would end up bad when another soldier tripped and Levi almost couldn't hide the laughter.

Before he started to laugh, Mike approached them. The second on command thought it couldn't be good. Without a doubt, the squad leader would realize what was happening.

Levi…" he said with deep voice and the captain was surprised when he saw him, but in a matter for seconds he looked at him in a defiant way, without caring for the height difference "I thought you were on a special training with your squad."

"Who…?" Levi began to talk, but Erd interrupted him in an attempt to make things right.

"Mike... yes, eh… we postponed the training because…" he made a pause. He had to find a convincing excuse, but Mike's inquisitive glare didn't make things easy. Lucky for him, before something else happened, a female voice was heard in the distance.

"Levi, there you are! I've been looking for you." Hanji approached them in a hurry "come with me, we need to check that nose. I want to make sure it's not broken." She casually said, taking Levi by the arm and dragging him towards the infirmary.

As for Mike, he looked at them with suspicion. Something in the captain's behavior was off, but his nose couldn't smell any changes, so he only looked at Erd, who was calmer. He was willing to get information and when the soldier realized it, he began to explain.

"The captain had a little accident this morning and we had to postpone the training, just in case he had a concussion." And then, he began to walk away to avoid more questions "I should go now, the rest of the squad is waiting for me. We… have a meeting."

Mike only followed with his eyes, still wondering about Levi's strange behavior. He seemed more relaxed than usual, but Mike decided to wait for Erwin to ask him about it.

Meanwhile in the infirmary, Hanji was scolding Levi for his carelessness. He looked at her with a serious expression and unexpressive gaze, waiting for her to stop talking, sitting in a chair. Apparently, the squad leader's efforts to be persuasive weren't working and it was evident on the captain's attitude.

"Do you understand? Don't get near any other soldier that isn't part of your squad, they could…"

"You know? With those glasses, it looks like you hace four eyes." He said with a raspy voice.

"Perhaps…" she closely observed him "your memory is coming back, after all…" she thought for a moment.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He stood up from the chair and walked towards the door. "Where's Erd? We were playing soldiers."

"This is not a game!" Hanji was exalted and got closer to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and using a firm voice, showing signs of being really concerned "Lev, you have to listen to me. Focus and try to remember."

"Don't touch me!" he pushed her and even though he didn't do it with all his strength, it was enough for her to hit one of the closets.

As soon as he heard the noise, Erd hurried to enter the infirmary. He was sure everything was out of control, and he only hoped there was nobody hurt. Leaving him alone with Hanji had been a mistake and he shouldn't have let him out of his sight.

"What's going on here?" he found Hanji rubbing her arm and annoyed expression.

"Oh, come on. It's not a big deal. I just want you to be back to your normal self."

"Don't come near me!" Levi answered.

"Captain, it's alright. I'm here…" the soldier looked at Hanji "'I'm so sorry. I think it was a very bad idea to take him to the backyard and…"

Surprising everyone, the door opened and they feared for their secret. It was a moment when everything seemed to be in slow motion, until a young boy with lively green eyes peeked in shily.

"Is everything alright? I was nearby and I heard something hitting one of the closets. I supposed it was somehow related to the captain."

"Eren! Hurry, come on in" Erd felt relieved and made him a gesture so he would approach "listen, you are the youngest of the squad and you might have an idea to keep the captain entertained and safe" he looked at the teenager with expectation

"Me? Well… I could…" he actually didn't have the slightest idea of how to treat a child, much less if it was captain Levi, who wasn't really pleased with his presence, but soon he noticed the bruise on his nose "What happened to his nose?"

"Oh, that…" the blond soldier looked at the captain, who also looked at him with skepticism "a horse kicked him. It was an accident."

"What?" Eren seemed impressed "couldn't we take him outside the barracks? Perhaps we could set camp somewhere else not so far from here, so we wouldn't worry about…"

"And if you did, could you guarantee he won't get lost in the woods?" Hanji spoke seriously and Eren shrugged "you must keep him in the castle. I trust you could do it or… we well have to use the cells in the basement."

"Let's hope we don't have to get to that point." Erd was worried.

A few moments later, and after the captain's insistence, they went back to the byre, but this time they taught him how to approach the horses, skipping certain information about one of the horses being his. They didn't even want to think about what could happen if he decided to mount one of the horses. A while later, Oluo brought some food and replaced Erd, but Eren remained with them. He would be the support in case something wet out of control. While they were there, they took the opportunity to clean and groom the animals, since it was part of their daily routine.

During that time, Levi was very entertained with the task. Apparently, he enjoyed the company of the horses and he got along specially well with one of them. He had been grooming it for a while. In the distance, Eren and Oluo whispered.

"Who would have thought that, even with that strange amnesia, he still has a great bond with his horse." Oluo smiled when she saw him interact with the black equine.

"You're right. After all, they've been together for yeard, right? Perhaps his subconscious remembers something, or there is some kind of instinct in there." The other soldier remained thoughtful, pondering the possibility, while they the captain was entertained with the horse. When the wind of the afternoon began to blow and the temperature started to go down, they decided to go back to the captain's office and look for some other activity for him.

Once they were there, they met Petra, who was expecting them by the door. She seemed to be thoughtful, but she smiled when she saw them approaching. Eren seemed tired, unlike Oluo, who was more relaxed. As for Levi, he was in a good mood and as soon as his eyes saw the girl, he smiled and ran toward her.

"Petra!" suddenly he swooped towards her and she almost lost her balance.

"Captain" don't…" the girl didn't know what to do. Her instinct told her to hug him back, but her comrades were right in front of her and their astonished expressions said everything their words couldn't "please, captain… it's not right that…"

"What isn't right?" he kept embracing her, but turned to look at her, a little confused. Their faces were very close.

"Well… eh…" she felt the blush growing deeper "this and…"

"We better get inside the office." Oluo hurried to say while he opened the door "someone could be here any moment." Once they were inside, Oluo looked at Petra with suspicion "I though Erd would be next in the guard.

"Oh, yeah… and I was supposed to be the backup." She managed to say after a moment, once her nerves and blush calmed down, although Levi was still strangely close to her, making her feel anxious "I ran into him a while ago and there were some changed. Someone has to stay with him during the night and it looks like he is the best choice, so he'll be here later."

"Ohh really? How convenient…" the soldier complained, noticing the captain seemed to have some predilection for the girl, as he was looking at her with admiration and sweetness.

"What do you mean by that?" the girl became very annoyed and glared at his comrade.

"Nothing, it's just that I thought you might want to spend time with me, but you just can't accept it. Besides…" Oluo's arrogant voice pissed her off. Despite her being used to his insistence, she was way to altered because of the situation to endure his attitude.

"If you're only going to say stupid things, just leave. I'll take care of the captain." The girl turned around and walked towards the window in the office, but an instant later, with a very serious voice she added "I'm tired of your childish comments and now it's not the time for them."

It was rare for Petra to get mad like that. The members of the squad had only saw her like that a few times, and they all agreed that it would be better if they didn't piss her off, especially because, even though she didn't hit things or slammed the doors, it was like seeing someone completely different. Her attitude became distant and, as much as they wanted to deny it, she knew her comrades very well and knew their weak spots very well. Her cold attitude left Oluo speechless, and Eren as well. He only looked at the scene from afar, trying to make up an excuse to leave the office as soon as possible.

Before they boy could say something, or Oluo could apologize, the captain's voice was heard. He used the same tone that more than once had made the legion soldiers tremble in fear.

"You better get out of here, before I kick your sorry ass." They were all shocked after hearing is words, thinking for a second that the captain might have recovered hi memory, but something in his attitude was different. Not only he seemed to be saying it for real, but his muscles were tense, in a way that he seemed to be waiting for the right moment to attack him.

 _ **Author's notes.**_

 _ **So, this is the third part of this fanfic. I hope you like it and that you are enjoying it as much as I do. I think child Levi is very entertaining.**_

 _ **Otaku South: sorry for the waiting, but here it is!**_

 _ **Akari Hikari: Thanks for following the story!**_

 _ **Daniadania5894: thank you for your kind words! I'll keep writing the story ;)**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Child's game 4**

"Captain!" the girl hurried to stand between Oluo and Levi, who was taken aback by her actions and serious attitude "you better sit down for a moment. Oluo is leaving." She turned to look at the soldier, telling him with her eyes that it was time to flee.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…" he babbled that and left the office, confused and worried for the Captain's attitude, as well as her fellow squad member. Deep down, he knew it might not have been the best moment to tease Petra, but he never imagined his Superior in charge could react like that. Apparently, he woke up something that was buried deep in his past, but that showed up with that strange amnesia he had.

Meanwhile, inside the office, Eren was ready to contain the Captain in case he decided to attack the other soldier, although he had a hunch it wouldn't b easy. On the other side, he was a still a Little astonished because of Petra's attitude. As for her, as soon as she made sure Levi was sitting and he didn't want to go after Oluo, she approached the window again to get some fresh air and take deep breaths.

She was still mad at Oluo, but at the same time she felt responsible for her superior's reaction and feared for what might have happened. Suddenly, Eren's voice took her out if her thoughts.

"Are you alright, Petra? If you want to, I could go get Gunter or Erd, or I can stay with the Captain if…"

"No, it won't be necessary, Eren." She answered, still looking through the window "I shouldn't have reacted like that and…" she finally looked at him, doing her best to show him a smile and make him feel at ease, but suddenly, she felt Levi's intense gaze on her and looked at him worried "I'm sorry, I…"

"I don't like when they treat women like rough." His voice was gloomy.

"Oh, it's not that. Oluo was only joking and…" she tried to explain, but the Captain interrupted her.

"But you didn't like his joke at all and it made you mad."

"That's true." He spoke with sincerity "although it wouldn't bother me so much in other circumstances. I know it's only a way to get attention. It's just that I'm not really in the modo to tolerate him. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost patience like that."

"If he does it again, I'll kick his ass. He's just like those men who visit mom… first, they say they are joking and then.." Levi's face got dark while he remembered the things he had seen in his mom's house, but when he felt the girl's hand on his shoulder, those images went away and he relaxed. His warning was sincere and both of his subordinates understood it, not completely understanding what was it about, but it didn't take much imagination to figure out what he actually meant.

A few minutes later, he apparently forgot about the conflict and expectantly looked at Petra, who was still keeping an eye on him.

"Are w going to continue with the reading today?"

"If course, if you want to." The girl relaxed and showed him a tiny smile. Then, she looked at Eren and asked "What was your favorite story when you were a child?"

"My favorite story?" he thought for an instant "I don't remember the name. It was a story my mom used to tell me, about a girl that, trying o save her father, she became prisoner in an enchanted castle with a horrible beast and…"

"Oh, I know which one you're talking about!" she finally smiled, remembering the story that was also one of her favorited and then, she hurried to take one of the books she left in the bookshelf the day before "lucky for us, it's in one of these books." She opened it and looked through the pages "here it is."

The afternoon passed without any other significant event. Both soldiers and the Captain were very entertained reading the _beauty and the beast_ and, apparently Eren's theory was true to certain degree, since it was easy for Levi to learn some letters again, as if those memories were in a deep corner o his mind, waiting to be remembered.

Before the night fell, the temperature began to decrease and it looked like a storm was coming. When Petra noticed Eren didn't have his jacket with him, she left him go back to his rom so he wouldn't catch a flu. Besides, he seemed to be very tired, and before he was gone, he went down to the kitchen to get some tea for her and the Captain.

When they were left alone, Levi continued with the reading and drank tea with the girl. He took the cup by the handle, careful not to get burned with the hot beverage and took a sip. When she noticed the way he drank, he felt confused. The Captain had always grabbed the cups in a very peculiar way and she couldn't help but wonder about it.

"Hm...Levi?" he looked at the girl, waiting for her to keep talking "don't you think it's easier to grab the cup in… I don't know, in a different way?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean something like this." She grabbed the cup by the edges, imitating the peculiar way the Captain always did, at least since she met him. She almost dropped the cup, since it was a little uncomfortable.

"It's very hard to grab it like that." he made a pause and then looked at her with suspicion "the military have very strange customs."

"No, it's not that. We don't actually grab them like that. It's just that…. I thought it would be easier for you because…" she didn't know what else to tell him "just grab it however you like." She smiled and thought that, perhaps the reason behind that bizarre custom of his, was the result of something that happened in his past life.

Slowly, the sky began to get cloudy and Petra thought it would be better if the Captain went back to his room, before there were more soldiers in the barracks because of the rain and, conveniently, small drops of water began to fall from the sky as soon as they entered his room. When he noticed it, Levi ran to approach the window, fascinated by the rain. He'd never seen raindrops like that, without anything to block the way.

As for the girl, she took a glance at her superior's room. It was pristine, except from the bed, which was undone since the early morning, but without much effort, Petra could imagine his room always immaculate. In many occasions, she had wondered what his room would look like, and truth to be told, the reality was quite similar to the image inside her mind. The room was a little bigger than the soldiers'. Being one of the highest ranks in the legion, Levi earned certain amenities, like a bigger room with its own bathroom and a beautiful view towards the woods nearby the barracks.

Petra decided to sit in the chair next to the desk, thinking about something that could keep the captain entertained before going to bed, but he interrupted her when he started to tell her about the rain in the underground city. When it rained in there, the water fell through some cracks in the caverns and when they finally reached the floor, it was practically mud. There were also some small sites on the city limits where the sky could be seen through small holes on the heights and, with some luck, rain fell as clean water.

Levi told Petra how much he liked to see the rain with his mother, who sometimes took the opportunity to gather some clean water. The captain shared some details about his past life, which had been very harsh and the girl couldn't help but thinking the circumstances of his past had been very unfair and cruel for a little child. The memories Levi had about his mother were happy, although he seemed to have some uncomfortable memories about her job and the abuses she received from her clients.

Levi was sitting on the desk, while Petra listened to his story and, suddenly he felt the warmth of her hand on his, as if he was trying to console him somehow. She looked at him with tenderness and the Captain felt shocked, since it was unexpected, but he immediately smiled and held her hand

"It must have been though for you." Her voice was sweet and serene "but I think you are very brave for surviving it."

"Do you really think so, Petra?"

"Yes." She smiled again and a light blush appeared on her cheeks "actually, you are the bravest man I know."

Suddenly, she became very aware of the situation they were and with a quick movement, she took her hand away from him and looked away. In that moment, the bookcase next to the bathroom door seemed to be the most interesting thing on earth and she stood up to examine it, avoiding the Captain's gaze. Still, his eyes followed her while a smile appeared on his face. He looked at her warmth and his blue eyes shone while they rested on her silhouette, but a moment later, he heard a thunder in the distance and became got very surprised..

"What is that'!"

"What is what?" she was alarmed because of the tone Levi used.

"That noise" he looked around, fearing for the worse and when it sounded again, he looked at her with horror in his eyes "is it a titan?"

"That noise?" she looked through the window "don't be afraid, it's just thunder. Apparently, there's a storm."

"I don't like those noises…." Shen another thunder sounded, Levi stood very close to the wall, as if he wanted to hide.

"It's alright, come." She made a movement so Levi would get closer to the desk "why don't we play with shadows to pass the time'"

Levi looked at her with concern, discerning if he should believe her or not, but to be honest, he didn't have a reason not to trust her, so he approached her and Petra lighted the candle on the desk. It was dark enough for the light to project clear shadows, and they began to play with them.

At night, Erd knocked on the door. It was his turn to take care of the Captain and he entered the room with a grin.

"Hi… am I interrupting?"

"Not at all, Erd. Did you have enough rest?" the soldier brought a food tray with him and put it in the desk.

"Yes. Enough to keep an eye on the Captain tonight." Levi seemed to be relaxed and pleased, he looked at Erd "tomorrow morning Gunther will be here, then Oluo with Eren and then you. I'll spend the night tomorrow as well.

"Understood." The girl stood up and approached her colleague "I guess…. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck and, just in case, remember that my room is at the end of the hall, in the floor below." She made a pause "rest well, Captain. See you tomorrow."

And then she left the room, headed towards hers and noticing the storm continued. Without a doubt, she lost track of time and didn't notice her surroundings while she played with Levi. Suddenly, before she could get farther from the room, she felt something pulling her jacket and when she turned, she became surprised after seeing the Captain's hand. She noticed his gaze was fixed on the floor, as if he was ashamed and even a little afraid, a gesture he'd never shown before.

"Don't… don't go…"

"Captain!" Erd hurried to catch him up.

"What's wrong?" she got closer to the captain, looking for his eyes.

"Please, don't leave me alone at night" his voice was sad and frightened.

"But Captain, it wouldn't be right. I mean, if someone…" Petra tried to explain while she blushed a little, looking around in case there was another soldier nearby, and Erd looked at them a little confused.

"I… I'm scared of the lightning… when the sky sounds like that, bad things happen." There was nostalgia in his voice, a genuine feeling with certainty that something could happen if he stayed alone.

Petra looked at him sweetly in the eyes and then the three of them went back to the room. There, the girl tried to comfort him and caressed his arm, but suddenly she met Erd's puzzled gaze, and before he could say something, she hurried to whisper.

"He is afraid of the lightning and…" the soldier interrupted her, finally understanding what was going on.

"Don't worry Captain. I won't let anything happen to you. You can sleep peacefully while…"

"I want Petra to stay with me, not you." His voice was deep and for an instant, both soldiers were speechless. Perhaps their Captain was back, based on his attitude, and yet, they knew he would never say something like that, despite showing some predilection towards the girl once in a while.

"But Captain, it wouldn't be appropriate that…"

"I said, I want Petra to stay with me!" apparently, he had made his choice and there was little the soldier could do about it.

"Very well," after looking at each other with serious eyes, the girl touched Erd's shoulder in a persuasive way and softly spoke "for me, there is no problem. Besides, considering the situation, I don't think..."

"Don't even joke about it!" Erd's expression became shady "you would be committing a very serious crime and…"

"Erd!" she blushed and pushed him "I didn't mean…" then, the soldier began to laugh "ey, that's not fair! I thought you were being serious."

"You should have seen your face, Petra." He kept laughing "alright, you can stay." He smiled "I'll be back in the morning to make sure no one sees you leaving the room and to wait for the next turn. We don't want anyone to misunderstand the situation. It will be a secret between us."

"I'd appreciate that."

"The diner is there, so… would you like me to bring you something else? Perhaps a blanket or… perhaps you won't even feel cold if you sleep with him." His attitude became thoughtful, but he was evidently not being serious.

"Just go already!" she pushed him while he started to laugh again and she hid her blush.

"Behave, Captain. Remember that Petra is a girl, so…" he took the door's knob to open it "don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked and left the room, followed by a book the girl threw at him with indignation.

"It's not funny."

"What's not funny?" immediately asked Levi, very confused.

"That…" she didn't know what to answer "because of… adult stuff…" she was about to say something else, but another lightning was heard in the distance and the Captain hid under the blankets.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." She got closer and lighted a candle on the nightstand "see? There's nothing here. Those are only sounds coming from the thunders. Nothing will happen." He looked at the girl and then around the room, as if he was looking for something that could be hidden in the shadows.

"Thank you."

"Besides, titans don't make those sounds. I assure you."

While they had dinner, the girl told him about the missions and expeditions they had survived and described him the looks of the titans and how they were killed, until she noticed Levi's sleepy face.

"I think it's time to sleep. Why don't you rush your teeth while I look for something more comfortable for you to sleep." Levi glanced at her as if he was about to object, but finally he nodded and headed towards the bathroom.

Meanwhile, the girl wondered what kind of clothes did the Captain used to sleep. At first glance, he didn't seem like the type who would wear a pajama, but in different occasion, she became rather surprised after assuming something about him, particularly his cleaning outfit. Given the circumstances, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let him sleep with the military uniform, but she was sure he'd slept with it the night before and it needed to be washed, so she decided to look into the drawers.

She picked a cotton long sleeved shirt that seemed comfortable enough to sleep with and a pair of loose black trousers. Then, she waited for him to open the door and, before he went out, she handed him the clothes, telling him to put it on, and he agreed without any further objection.

"When you're done, give me your uniform so I can put it with the laundry clothes, please." She said from the room, wondering if he heard her through the door, but suddenly her doubts were cleared when Levi abruptly opened the door.

"What did you say?" he looked at her, tilting his head in confusion. He was only wearing the trousers, so he bare chest was exposed.

"I said that…" she looked at him for an instant and then she looked away, ashamed for seeing him like that. Despite the Captain being a strong man, his complexion was rather slim, but in that moment, Petra confirmed a couple things she had wondered in the past. Number 1: yes, his muscles were perfectly ripped and number 2: as crazy as it might be, she felt terribly attracted to him "when you're done, give me your clothes to put them with the laundry…" she said as she walked towards the window, intentionally avoiding looking at him.

"Alright." Then he entered the bathroom again and finished dressing up.

Once he was outside, he handed her his uniform, which was all tangled and seriously needed to be washed.

When Levi finally got in bed, Petra got a chair to be close to him and sat down. The storm continued, but the thunders were less frequent. Still, every time the sky sounded, he looked rather afraid, so the girl decided to keep talking. She told him about life inside the walls, while he listened with attention. When he lost his memories, he forgot about how things were in the surface and all seemed like a fairy tale. Nevertheless, and despite wishing to listen until the story was done, it was impossible for him. He fell asleep and a few minutes later, Petra noticed it. She smiled and began to think about a strategy to be aware of his movement, but being comfortable at the same time and suddenly, she felt the Captain's hand looking for hers, taking it to make sure she was still close.

At first, Petra was surprised, but then a huge grin appeared on her lips. She didn't have a heart to get away from him, so he just adjusted the chair right next to the wall and she leaned on the headboard. That way, she could sleep a little, but immediately would notice if Levi stood from the bed.

At first, she was determined to stay awake, but slowly, she was defeated by her tiredness and put her feet on the bed to be more comfortable, until a few hours later she fell asleep.

 _ **Author's notes.**_

 _ **Thank you so much for continue reading my story. Sorry for the late update, but I've been a little busy with my work. Teaching teenagers is exhausting… but I still enjoy it… any comments are welcome and please, enjoy the reading!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Erd woke up earlier than usual and got ready to begin with his duties. Before heading for the Captain's room, he stopped by the kitchen to get a jar with water some bread cheese.

The first rays of light barely came through the room's window, when the door slowly opened and Erd had to contain his laughter when he saw the scene in front of him: Petra was sitting in a chair, but apparently, she moved a little as the night went by. So much that, when Erd entered the room, she was almost lying, while the Captain's arm surrounded her waist, as if he was trying to keep her close.

Careful, not to make any noises, Erd approached the desk in the room to put down the jar and the food he brought, but when Petra felt movement, she woke up alarmed, concerned for the Captain, but when she saw he was still sleeping next to her, she relaxed, but almost immediately she became aware of her surroundings and the predicament she was in, so with the smoothest movements she managed to do, she tried to lose the grip of Levi's arm. With some luck, she would manage to move away before Erd could start teasing her about it.

"It looks like it won't be so easy." the soldier whispered, while he approached the girl, wearing a mocking smile on his face "but, do you know something? I'm so glad you were the one who stayed with him. I couldn't see my girlfriend in the eye, knowing I woke up cuddling with another man…"

"Shut up and help me! Besides, nothing I would be ashamed of happened." The girl explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And I'm so relieved it didn't. I would be so ashamed of finding you two naked and…" this time, Petra fulminated him with her glare "alright, alright, I'm sorry. I'll help you."

With his help, the girl could get rid of the Captain's grip, lucky for them, without waking him up. Then, she headed to the bathroom to fix her hair and wash her face. Her neck was soring for sleeping in an uncomfortable position and small eye bags were starting to appear.

"Tired?" this time, her partner asked with sincerity.

"Not so much." She rubbed her neck and stretched "Just a little sored. I don't know how did I end up in such a weird posture."

"I'm not trying to bother you but… If you had just l laid on the bed, or at least sit on it, it would have been less uncomfortable."

"Perhaps, but… It wouldn't be right. Besides, if you had found me like that, you would tease me for the rest of my life."

"Well, of course I would!" he smiled and looked at her with a tender glance. Sometimes, his squadmate was so easy to read "why don't you to and have some rest? I'll be here keeping an eye on him until Gunther arrives. Remember that only you and me know that you stayed here for the night. If you hurry, you could avoid indescreet eyes. Don't worry, I'll make sure the Captain doesn't mention anything about it."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." She walked towards the door and looked at the Captain on last time, wishing his amnesia was cured soon "if you need something, I'll be in my room."

"Sure, don't worry. I'll ser you later. Hurry!" he was actually worried about her. If someone saw her leaving Levi's room, she could get in trouble. "and Petra…"he said before she could leave "your secret form this morning is safe with me."

"I already told you, nothing happened!"

Laughing for himself, Erd closed the door and realized the Captain was about to wake up. He was still quite sleepy. He rubbed his eyes and then looked around, familiarizing with the place and then he looked at the soldier with a confused look.

"Where is Petra?"

"She just left. She looked a little tired and she went back to her room." Erd immediately realized the disappointment on his eyes "she didn't say goodbye because she didn't want to wake you up, but she will be back in the afternoon.

"Alright." Levi answered with resignation.

A moment later, the Captain stood up from the bed and Erd made his best effort to convince him of taking a shower. He agreed without much enthusiasm. Once Levi went out the shower and dressed up, they both had breakfast and the soldier took the opportunity to make up an excuse to the Captain didn't mention that Petra was the one who spend the night with him, letting him know that if he said something, there could be consequences for the girl. A couple minutes later, Gunther knocked on the door and, before entering, he took a quick glance in the room, a little suspicious and after seeing Erd and his Superior, he sighds with relief. Truth to be told, he didn't know what to expect from the Captain's behavior.

"Morning, Erd… Captain." He solemnly said "I'm glad we didn't have unexpected situations today." Suddenly, he saw the tray with breakfast leftovers "Oh, I see you've already eaten breakfast." There was silence for an instant, and the second in command remembered that he wasn't supposed to leave Levi alone. Not even for a moment, so he would have to think of an excuse to explain the tray with food.

"Oh… yes… well, you see…" he felt his hands getting sweaty. There were time when he and Gunther teased Petra about some of her attitudes to get the Captain's attention, but if said soldier found out that the girl actually spent the night taking care of their superior, her reputation could be harmed.

"I saw Petra on my way here," he glared at Erd, who was fearing for the worst "she was in a hurry and she told me she brought you breakfast but… I didn't think you'd eat so fast!" his face showed disappointment and sighed "I was kind of hoping I could eat something."

"Oh, of course!" the blond said with relief "It just that… we were very hungry when we woke up. But I'll tell you something, I'll take the Captain to his office while you go and get some breakfast. How about it?"

"Would you really do that for me?" the Second in command nodded "thanks a lot! I own you one." And then, the black haired soldier headed towards the door and before leaving, he said "It won't be long."

"Sure, don't wory." Erd deeply sighed with relief as son as he saw his squad mate leaving and when he looked for the Captain, he met his inquisitive gaze. He had seen the whole interaction "believe me, you'll thank me for this when your memory is back."

"I guess it's related to that thing that I'm not supposed to mention." They both looked at each other. There was a lot of tension, and then Levi stood up and looked for his jacket as if nothing had happened "can we go no? I'm bored."

And without saying anything else, they both headed towards the office, which wasn't so far from the room, but I felt like an eternity for the Second in command, since there were many soldiers in the halls. Mornings were usually the most crowded times of the day, because they were busy with their daily chores, such as cleaning the castle, preparing meals for the Legion, training preparations, laundry, medical check-ups, strategy meetings and so on.

Once they were in the office, Levi sat in the chair next to the desk, looking at the sky from the big window.

"Captain, why don't you draw a little? You might have fun with it, or you can practice your writing." Erd took a few papers from the desk and some books, putting them next to his superior, along with a pencil.

Levi looked at him with distrust, but then he thought about it and willingly accepted, trying to copy letters from the books.

"Petra wanted to teach me how to write, but it's complicated."

"It is at first. But once you get used to it, it's quite simple."

"She made it look very easy."

"Let's say that…" he laughed a little "among the whole squad, she is the one with the best handwriting. She is also the most patient among us. I can't imagine Gunther as a teacher or Oluo, he is a disaster or teaching. As for Eren… well, he's still a kid."

Levi smiles and continued writing, leaving the soldier thoughtful while he took a look around the office, which seemed untidier than usual. If the Captain was his usual self, he wouldn't tolerate it and would immediately start to clean the place. Truth to be told, the office wasn't actually that dirty, but it wasn't as pristine as always.

Erd felt nostalgic, wondering how much longer would the situation continue and when he saw the frustration expression on his Superior, he knew that something extraordinary was needed to bring him back. For the time being, the hardest part would be keeping is condition a secret, and he wasn't sure how much longer the squad would be able to do it. Perhaps Commander Erwin would have some ideas when he came back from his trip, which would be that same night. Actually, it hadn't been that long since all this mess started, but the squad members seemed to share the concerned and uncertainty feeling that slowly became wearing. Despite it all, the image if the Captain in his desk, doing his best to write the letter correctly was rather amusing, and suddenly a mischievous smile appeared on the soldier's lips. It might be a perfect opportunity to get some information from his Superior.

"Captain, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Levi wasn't paying much attention to Erd's words. He was very entertained writing.

"Tell me…" he approached whim with caution "are you interested in Petra?" there was no answer; apparently, _little Levi_ didn't understand what he meant and just looked at him with a confused expression "I mean… do you think she's pretty?

"Oh! Yes, a lot." Levi smiled "besides, she is very kind to me"

"Of course. She's a good girl." Suddenly, the soldier has a very peculiar idea "but, what would you say if I told you that she's seeing someone else? Or that she prefers to be with some other man that isn't you"

"What? She prefers to be with someone that isn't me?" suddenly, Levi's expression became sad, but almost immediately it became grumpy.

"To be honest, I'm not so sure. She and Eren seem close and…"

"I'm gonna kill him…"

"No!" suddenly de soldier became alarmed. He didn't know for sure if the Captain's threats were true or not "I don't think that would be necessary. Perhaps you only need to get closer to Petra."

"Get closer to her? I don't understand." Levi looked at him with attention.

"If I told you, you must promise you won't retaliate in the future." The Captain didn't seem to understand what the soldier meant, so he nodded without giving it much of a thought "well, you see… you could approach and get close to her when there's no one else around, and in that moment, you could take the opportunity and bring your face closer to hers. Very close, do you understand?" he widely smiled. He would really enjoy the scene in case Levi decided to do it "and then, perhaps you could kiss her."

The Captain's expression was serious. He was actually considering what his subordinate just said, but that changes quickly when the door opened again.

"Erd? Oh, here you are." Gunther entred "alright, I had breakfast and now I can take care of the Captain… why are you laughing?" he asked when he saw his squad mate's expression.

"Nothing… just something the Captain said. I'll see you later." And then he walked away, wearing a triumphant smile.

Lucky for Gunther, Levi was calm during the whole morning. He was quite entertained trying to write properly and the rest of the time he asked his subordinate about the rest of the squad. Apparently, he was very interested on knowing more about them, their personalities and even the embarrassing anecdotes, which Gunther was more than willing to tell, forgetting for a moment that it was hiss Superior; as if he was just another colleague.

When his watch was almost over, the Captain began to feel restless and he wanted to take a walk around the barracks, making Gunther feel concerned, because he remembered what happened the day before. After giving it some thought, the soldier decided to go to one of the upper floors, where there were empty rooms that were used as storage or as studying rooms for the soldiers interested in knowing more about titans or learning war strategies.

Before the left the office, the soldier took some books, papers and pens to write, leaving a message for his partners so they could know where they were when the shift changed. Then, they were very careful when heading to the upper floors. The Captain's attitude didn't raise suspicion. By then, he was used to the _game_ of pretending to be a soldier and his attitude was almost natural.

When they arrived to their destination, they entered a room where there was a table in the center, surrounded by chairs and some bookshelves. The place was clean and it was apparently used quite frequently, so Gunther warned the Captain that, if someone entered the place, he should adopt a serious attitude, but before agreeing, Levi looked at him with malice.

"Alright, but only if you can defeat me in arm wrestling." He took off is jacket and sat in one of the chairs, rolling up his shirt sleeves and putting his right arm on the table, challenging the soldier, who sighed and put what he was carrying on the other side of the table and agreed.

"I'll try." Then he sat in front of him and stared with the arm wrestling.

At first, Gunther was sure he would be defeated by the Captain, and was very surprised when the opposite thing happened. Despite Levi's great strength, he didn't have a good arm wrestling technique, so the soldier felt relieved after winning the beet.

"Two of three!" said Levi immediately.

"Alright. But first you need to learn some techniques. I'll show you how to do it, but you have to promise you'll be serious if someone who's not part of our squad enters, alright?"

"Alright." He nodded and Gunther began with the lessons.

They both lost track of time and then, there was knock on the door. It was Oluo with Eren, the ones in charge of the next watch. Luck for them, they saw the message Gunther left in the office and they found them quick enough. Nevertheless, they didn't expect to see both soldiers playing arm wrestling.

"It was the Captan's idea!" Gunther explained before being scolded.

"I won!" Levi said triumphantly "are you next?"

"But Captain…" Oluo seemed uncertain of what to do. He had the chance of competing agains his superior.

"Come on, don't be a coward. Or are you afraid?"

"It would be stupid to not be at least a little afraid." Whispered Eren while he entered with a tray with food for the Captain.

"Alright." Finally said Oluo "I've always wanted to do this." He smiled and sat in front of the Captain, hoping to have a clear advantage over him, and yet, Gunther's tips were effective and humanity's strongest didn't' have much trouble for winning.

Oluo's expresión was priceless, even Eren laugh when he saw how easy he was defeated. And so, a small tournament began, although the green-eyed boy was hesitant of participating. Apparently, Gunther had a lot of experience in arm wrestling and he was the only one who represented a challenge for the Capatin.

A few minutes later, when everyone seemed to be tired, Levi's gaze was set on Eren. His blue eyes showed a very particular shine as they saw him with arrogance.

"You're next." His voice was dry and full of authority.

"Me? But Captain, I don't…." the boy felt nervous after the harsh look on his superior's expression. Something in his attitude told him to be careful.

"It's an order, soldier." He said it in such a way that they all thought the Captain was back, but it couldn't be possible, since he had just put his arm on the table, ready to begin with the wrestling match and wearing a malicious smile.

"Alright." Eren approached with caution and put his arm in position, remembering the days back in the academy and al those matches he won. But this time, it was all different.

When Oluo gave the signal to start, Levi hurried to use all his strength to defeat the boy, who screamed in pain when he felt his hand hitting the table.

"Captain, there's no need to be so harsh!" Gunther exclaimed as they approached Eren, who has holding his hand, making sure it wasn't broken.

"Harsh? That was nothing," he stood from his seat "this is being harsh!" and with a fast movement, he pushed Eren to the floor, leaving the boy very shocked. He was pretty sure he didn't do anything to upset him. Not this time.

Before anything else happened, Gunther held the Captain by the arms to stop him from harming Eren, while Oluo helped the boy getting up from the floor and get away from Levi.

"This wasn't a good idea." After many efforts, Gunther managed to make Levi sit in a chair.

"He was about to attack me yesterday as well." Oluo spoke, his expression very serious "It might no be a good idea to leave him with us."

"Apparently, the only people whom he doesn't want to attack are Erd, Petra an your" as son as Levi heard Eren saying Petra's name, he glared at him very angry "this time, I'm not even sure of what I did to deserve his anger."

"It may a good idea to ask Petra to take care of him for the rest of the afternoon. Erd can stay with him again tonight." Oluo made a pause and noticed Levi still seemed grumpy "Eren, could you go get Petra?"

The boy nodded and left the room, followed by the Captain's angry eyes. As soon as he was out, he felt a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. Then, he hurried to look for his squad mate, who surely was in her room.

On his way there, Eren wondered how much longer hey would have to bear with the situation. He was still feeling rather guilty for that happened. After all, if he had made sure the floor was dry, nothing of this would have happened. He was lost in his thoughts when a female voice spoke to him.

"Eren, is something wrong?"

"Petra! No… well, I was actually looking for you. I supposed you would be in your room and…"

"I was on my way to the kitchen to get something to eat. Did something happened?"

"Well…" he tried to pick up his words and don't alarm her "we need you to change your shift to take care of the Captain. You see, we were in the seventh floor, in one of those empty rooms and when Oluo and I got there, he was playing arm wrestling with Gunther. At first, we thought it wasn't such a bad idea, but… he suddenly got so aggressive with me…"

"What the hell is Gunther thinking?" the girl complained and began to walk towards the seventh floor. She looked exasperated "it is as if he was doing everything possible to make the Captain get aggressive."

"It was actually everyone's fault. We all agreed to play with him." Eren followed and suddenly he made a pause, speaking very softly "although today, it seems like he is very angry at me. I don't know why." His voice showed how disappointed and sad he felt.

"The Captain doesn't have anything against you. You are our best chance to take back wall Maria and he knows it. His aggressiveness is consequence of the injury on his head. Deep down, he is understanding, it's just that he is not good for showing it."

"Even if you were right, nothing guarantees us that he will be back to normal any time soon."

The only thing Petra could do, was to look at him with concern and keep walking towards their destination. It didn't take them a lot of time to get there and as soon as they entered the room, they found Gunther standing behind Levi, who was finishing eating, while Oluo seemed to be keeping his distance. She immediately remembered what happened the day before and knew they were starting to run out of options to keep an eye on their Superior."

"What's te situation?" She asked, anticipating the answer.

"We need you to take care of him." Oluo spoke dryly "apparently, Eren and I cannot help you with it anymore."

"I could stay for a while longer and…" Gunther was interrupted.

"I want to stay with Petra." Levi's voice was suddenly heard, firm and determined, as if it was a natural thing for him "It's an order."

They all became tense immediately, because of the implication of his words, especially Gunther, who heard it for the second time in the day. The Captain had found a way to have his own way without being questioned, leaving his subordinates with much choice and concerned for the possibility of things getting out of control.

"Alright, but as soon as he's finished with his meal, we're going to the library. We can't risk him getting aggressive with other soldiers." Petra spoke firmly, convinced that the best thing would be to keep him as much isolated as they could.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Gunther looked at her with a serious expression.

"Don't worry, I think I can manage."

"If you need something, we'll be nearby." Oluo whispered, making a gesture so Eren would follow him as he left the room.

Once Levi and Petra were left alone, the Captain's attitude apparently changed radically, as if his humor was better than ever. He even smiled at the girl, but she was ignoring him on purpose.

"Petra?"

"Hmm?" she barely answered while she looked through the window and avoided his gaze. She was angry at him for attacking Eren. She was also concerned for the possibility oh him staying with that weird amnesia forever.

"Will we continue reading?" he waited for her answer and she took her time to do it. She needed a patient but firm attitude.

"If you want to, but… " she looked at him with her eyes full of determination "if you attack someone again, won't help you again with your reading. You shouldn't attack other people and Eren didn't do anything to make you so angry, he is just seeking your approval.

"Alright." Levi answered almost immediately, without thinking "do you prefer to spend more time with Eren than with me?

"What?" the question took her by surprise, she didn't know what the Captain meant "Eren?"

"Erd told me." His gaze became shady and sad.

"Erd?" a moment later, Petra connected the dots and became enraged with her colleague "I'm going to kill him!" she sighed and got closer to Levi "listen, I don't know what Erd told you, but…" she thought for a moment "no, I don't rather spend time with Eren. I know you don't remember now, but you and I spend time together doing paperwork or talking after dinner. And for me, that's the best moment of the day. I would prefer a thousand times to spend time with you than with someone else. But even if it wasn't like that, it isn't enough reason to attack someone, understood?"

"Alright, I understand." He smiled and stood up. Petra's words would have caused a completely different effect on the Captain if he was on his right mind, but in that moment, Levi just smiled and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Aren't we going to the library?" she looked at him, somehow disappointed. It was definitely not the reaction she was expecting from him. Truth to be told, she always thought the circumstances would be different when she told him something as sincere as what she just said.

"Let's go." Finally, Petra stood up and walked towards the door.

Once they were in the hall, Levi adopted his _soldier_ attitude, to avoid being discovered, but there was no one around. The tones of the sunlight coming through the windows indicated that it was almost twilight and in a couple hours, the sky would be dark. The light made the stones in the floor seem almost orange, as well as the walls.

Both soldiers walked towards the library, approaching the stairs and suddenly, Levi reminded Erd's words and decided to take the opportunity to get closer to Petra, who was apparently distracted. She suddenly felt the Captain getting closer, not like in the past days when despite of being so close, she didn't feel her personal space invaded. This time, there was something different in his attitude. He seemed very serious and something was out of place, making her feel uncomfortable. She took a step back, but there wasn't enough space because they were so close to the stairs, so Levi kept going and took her by the arm, getting his face closer and closer, and in a matter of seconds, Petra felt his lips on hers.

She was astonished for a moment, not knowing what to do. She had dreamed and longed for that moment in so many occasions, but she didn't want it to be like that, with Levi in that state and with such an erratic behavior, so she tried to get him away from her, pushing him a little, but he was stronger than her and he didn't seem to be willing to let her go. It was then, when she used her combat skills to push him, but when she realized what would happen, it was already too late: the Captain was falling down the stairs.

"Captain!"

Levi couldn't answer because he was desperately looking for something to get a hold of, but there was noting he could grab and suddenly, the sound of his head hitting the floor was heard and he was unconscious.

Right away, Petra yelled asking for help. This time she was the cause of the accident, although she was her reasons. She hurried to make sure he was alright. Lucky for her, there were some soldiers in the sixth floor and they rushed to helped her.

A little after they managed to take the Captain to the infirmary and lay him in one of the stretchers, the whole squad was there. Then, Petra made a gesture telling them to get out and as soon as the door was closed, she scolded Erd for putting weird ideas on the Captain's head. She didn't know the idea of kissing her was also his, but she deduced his actions were consequence of Erd's comments about her and Eren

As for Erd, he took the scolding in a stoic way. Apparently, the joke went out of his hands and he ended up accepting his responsibility and apologizing to Petra. The rest of the squad didn't understand what was going on, but after seeing the interaction between the girl and the Second in command, they knew that it would be better to not intervene.

"I don't know wat Erd did, but… it must be something really bad to make Petra like that." Oluo whispered from the corner of the hall. As soon as the discussion became more heated, they all decided to take a step back.

"Perhaps the challenged the Captain to jump from the top of the stairs." Eren seemed confused.

"No. An injury like that doesn't happen because you didn't fall well. It looks like someone pushed him." Gunther continued thoughtful, leaving everyone wondering what had actually happened.

Few hours passed and the Captain was still unconscious. This time, the injury seemed more serious and he had bandages in the arms and the head. He even got some stitches on the head. The official version was that, Levi tried to jump down the stairs but he slipped as soon as his feet touched the ground. Honestly, Hanji wasn't very convinced of such story. The squad was evidently hiding something, but when she saw their angsty expressions and the mayhem after Petra and Erd's discussion, she decided to not inquiry a lot.

Erwin came back a little after the accident took place and since then, he was patiently waiting for Levi to wake up. Everyone was more apprehensive than ever, specially the squad, who were also uncomfortable. There was silence in the infirmary and the atmosphere was filled with expectation. Th first accident left Levi with amnesia, a second one could cause even worse consequences.

Suddenly, Levi made an expression of pain and began to move his fingers.

"He's waking up!" Hanji got closer to him "Levi, can you hear me? Are you alright? Do you know who I am?" there was a small silence that felt like an eternity for everyone. The captain opened his eyes and looked around.

"What… what the hell am I doing here? And… shit! why does my head hurt so much?" he seemed quite angry.

"Captain!" Petra was very surprised.

"Levi, is it really you?" Hanji asked.

"Of course it's me, four eyes. Who else would I be? Auch!" he touched his head just where the stitches were.

"Looks like… he's back" Erwin spoke, his voice showing relief. He had just came back to the barracks and Levi's weir amnesia had him very worried, but he became even more worried when he heard about the second accident.

"Captain, I'm so glad you're alright." Oluo seemed to be finally relaxed. Evidently, Levi was in much pain and dizzy, so Hanji hurried to say.

"It would be better if you'd let him rest a little." And she told them to leave the infirmary. Everyone except for her and Erwin did it. They wanted to question him about what happened. They had to knew what exactly happened.

Levi seemed to be very confused and without the slightest idea of what happened, which made him being in a bad mood, specially when Hanji told him about some of the things he did on the past days. Despite everything, he felt grateful of not remembering at all, although it all seemed like a dream, or more exactly, a nightmare.

The special operations squad waited for Hanji and Erwin to come out to listen what the Captain said, but they were disappointed when the realized Levi didn't remember anything. Finally, they decided to keep a watch outside the infirmary for the rest of the night, just in case. Although it wasn't really necessary, Levi was just tired and in al of of pain, but nothing he couldn't handle. Still, he would spend the night in the infirmary.

Around 10 PM, the Captain was looking wat the ceiling, trying to remember what happened, perhaps a flash of what he had said and done on the past days, but without much luck. As the minutes passed, a few things came to his mind, but all of them were unpleasant or embarrassing. Suddenly, someone opened the door. It was Petra, who brought him some dinner.

"Captain? I've brought you something to eat." She shily smiled, because she still had the sensation of his lips on hers. Very deep down, she was grateful that he didn't remember anything.

"Thanks, Petra." He said with a serious tone and sat on the bed.

"How are you feeling" she asked after a moment, but what she wanted to know was if he remembered something.

"I have a freaking headache that doesn't leave me alone and I can barely remember what I did in the past days. As far as I know, I could have been drunk all this time and I'm just hungover."

"I'm happy it wasn't so serious." She laughed a little.

"I'm not so sure of that." His expression made it evident that he was in pain while he began to eat. There was a pause and Petra felt her hands sweating, expectantly and then he continued "Hanji told me what happened and how it al started."

"Oh… " she was about to say something, but the Captain continued.

"Eren's carelessness went too far."

"It was an accident… you know he can be absent minded sometimes. Besides, he's been worried sick about you."

"Tsch, don't defend him so much." He continued eating and suddenly the image of himself pushing and punching Eren came to his mind, as well as Erd's saying something to him. It was like a dream suddenly he understood that they were memories of what happened.

"Is something wrong, Captain? Do you want me to go get the doctor?"

"No, no. It's alright." He kept silent and thoughtful, still confused as he ate.

"Alright, I better go now. Oluo Will be right outside for the rest of the night and someone else from the squad will be here in the morning. Do you need anything before I leave?"

"Not for now, thanks." He avoided her gaze, getting distracted with the food place in front of him. He was starting to remember why he attacked Eren, and it was very embarrassing.

"Have a Good night." She smiled but he was still avoiding eye contact, so she just closed the door behind her and headed towards her room.

On her way there, the met Oluo, who was heading to the infirmary and he told her that Gunther would be the one in charge of the morning watch, and her turn would be in the afternoon.

E girl was tires. The lwas few days were exhausting and the tension had worn her out. On the other side, she remembered the time she spent with Lev, wondering if she had done something to be ashamed of or something she could regret, but she couldn't think about anything else. Nevertheless, the Captain's attitude made her feel uneasy.

The next day, everything was back to normal for the special operations squad. Levi was discharged from the infirmary, but he would have to spend three days resting, confined to his office during the day and perhaps supervising training from afar. He would take the opportunity to finish the accumulated paperwork.

Around 6 PM, Petra walked towards the Captain's office. She carried a tray with hot tea , ready to spend the rest of the day helping him with the bureaucratic activities, but in her way there, she met Eren, who had a confused expression.

"Is something wrong, Eren?"

"Oh, hi Petra. No… it's just that… " he scratched his cheek as he glanced at the office door "the Captain wanted to talk with me and Erd." Petra's eyes opened in surprise. Perhaps the captain remembered something "apparently, Hanji told him about the accident and…"

"Did hi punished you?"

"Yes…" he said with discouragement, but suddenly his attitude changed and hurried to add "I thought it would be more severe. I mean… I caused the first accident, but he only told me to clean the stalls for the rest of the week."

"See? I told you he is understading."

"You're right." He smiled "I wonder if Erd will have the same luck… I'll see you later." Eren continued walking and Petra looked at the office, as if she was expecting her colleague to come out any time.

Once she was outside the office, she could barely hear Levi's voice. Apparently, he was severely speaking with someone, but she couldn't distinguish the words. Judging by the tone, he was furious and she decided not to interrupt so she wouldn't make it worse.

A few minutes later, Erd came out of the office. He looked cresfalln and even a little pale, but as soon as he saw Petra, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"Considering what happened, two weeks of cleaning the bathrooms isn't that bad, don't you think?"

"You're right. If it were up to me, I would have given you the whole month."

"Come on, Petra. Don't be so harsh. Besides, the Captain is his usual self again. Those are good news, right? Specially for you"

"Erd!" the soldier laughed and he was about to say something else, but Levi went out the office.

"Those bathrooms aren't getting any more clean, Erd. Or are you waiting for dinner so there's more shit to clean?"

"No! I'm leaving, Captain" and without saying anything else, the soldier hurried to begin with his punishment.

As for Levi, he made a gesture so Petra entered his office. He still had some bandages on the head, in case the stitches began to bleed, but aside of that, he looked very normal.

"Tsch… it's unbelievable how paperwork accumulates in a few days." He complained under his breath as he sat on the desk's chair.

"How was you day, Captain?" she approached him and put a cup with hot tea in front of him, observing how the place seemed to be as neat and pristine as always.

"The pain is slowly going away, but my office and my room were a mess, what the hell happened?"

"Well…." Petra considered what she should say and continued "we had to keep you away from the other soldiers, so we decided to entertain you and keep you in those places."

"Entertain me s the key word." He softly said, as if he wanted to hide the embarrassment he felt after behaving like he did. Suddenly, he stood up from his chair, carrying the cup of tea an approached the window, looking at the stars in the sky.

"Do you remember what happened?" she finally gathered the courage to ask, but she wasn't ready to hear an affirmative answer.

"Just a few things. There are some hazy parts and I'm not sure if I want to remember them" he leaned back in the wall, crossing his arms, unconsciously putting a wall to hide his vulnerability.

"It's understandable, you had amnesia and… you didn't know what you were doing." She sat in the chair next to the desk, ready to begin with the paperwork.

Levi's expression was of resignation while he drank his tea, holding the cup with his usual peculiar way, making the girl smile while she remembered something. Suddenly, the Captain's voice was Heard, using a kind and warm tone, but there was some doubt in there as well.

"Thanks for being so good to me o the past days." He looked at her for an instant and then he kept drinking his tea.

"Do you remember?" she managed to say, surprised but a little ashamed.

"Of course… although I don't remember everything, it's impossible to not remember how patient you were and what you did for me. I appreciate it." He smiled with his eyes and then looked through the window "My childhood wasn't easy and I guess, in the state I was, receiving that kind of attention and care from everyone, made me act like a spoiled brat. I was never used to that and I was alone most of the time…" he made a pause and looked at the floor, remembering something "but you don't want to listen to such a shitty story, you have better tings to…"

"I want to hear it." Petra stood up from the char and got closer to him "after all, the story of that lonely boy is part of you, and I want to know it."

Levi looked at her, startled. He wasn't expecting that reaction from her and suddenly his gaze softened and looked at her in the eyes. Without a doubt, Petra was a special girl and most of all, very patient. After all, she kept composure at all times, putting up with his childish behavior. And not only that; even on daily basis, she seemed to see through the Captain's shield, seeing him for who he really was: an imperfect man with a past that left him with many scars, and despite it…

"You would rather spend time with me, than with someone else." He murmured, but Petra perfectly listened.

"So, you remember." She smiled with melancholy. Her words weren't for naught.

"And also, what happened later." Without a doubt, he meant when he stole a kiss from her and she pushed him down the stairs "so… I would rather avoid any more accidents…" he looked through the window, avoiding the girl's gaze.

"There won't be any accidents this time." She couldn't resist it anymore and took him by the shirt collar, with a fast ad precise movement, perfectly calculating the angle so she could kiss him with tenderness. He was surprised, but kissed her back, feeling goosebumps around his body and he made his best efforts to not let the cup slip from his hand, although in that moment, he wouldn't mind making a mess in his office. The most important thing for him was feeling Petra close to him and taste her lips. Once they were separated, he managed to say, almost whispering.

"For me, spending time with you is also the best moment of the day." And then, Levi left the cup next to the window and tenderly embraced the girl. He was about to kiss her, when a thunder was heard in the distance and he looked through the window, while Petra tried so hard no to laugh when she remembered little Levi was scared of lightning.

"Don't tell me you're still scared of thunder." She said with misbelief, still laughing a little.

"Tsch… who do you think I am?"

And without losing another instant, Levi kissed Petra again, enjoying her closeness, just like he'd been wanting to for a long time.

 _ **Author's notes.**_

 _ **This is the final part of the story. Thank you so much for keep reading it until the end. I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you so much for your sweet comments, I really appreciate it and it great to have feedback!**_


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